Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Employee Wellness Model For Obesity, Barbara Siebold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity, a condition of having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, is a universal epidemic with the greatest prevalence in the United States. The greatest concern with this epidemic health problem is that it presents with many comorbidities and is a risk factor for other chronic diseases. Employee wellness programs (EWP) have been in place for years and incorporate programs on weight management, nutritional education, and smoking cessation to reduce risk factors associated with chronic diseases. These programs utilize the concept of empowerment, often guided by Pender's self-management theory, to encourage employees to take onus for their health …

The Role Of Sociodemographic Characteristics And Antiretroviral Prophylaxis On Risky Sexual Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, Leonard Obodo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent multicenter, randomized, double blind clinical trials have shown no association between HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and increased sexual risk behavior among high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM). However, little research has been conducted under natural conditions devoid of clinical trial controlled environment to confirm the lack of association between PrEP and increased sexual risk behavior. Also, research has shown conflicting associations between sociodemographic characteristics and sexual risk behavior among MSM. In this cross-sectional, web-based, primary data analysis, MSM who reside in United States of America (USA) and who make use of PrEP for HIV prevention were examined …

Interrupting The Sepsis Process With An Evidence-Based Education Intervention, Martha Olson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Interrupting the Sepsis Process with an Evidence-Based Education Intervention

by

Martha Olson

MSN, Walden University, 2013

MS, Southwest Minnesota State University, 2003

BSN, The University of Iowa, 1998

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

May 2015

Abstract

Sepsis is a concern, especially for the vulnerable populations. The early signs of sepsis are vague and often difficult to detect, but when detected early, are treatable with antibiotics and fluid resuscitation. When a nurse is unaware of the early signs, treatment is delayed and multiorgan failure may progress quickly. To …

Internal Attributes That Mitigate Perceived Job Insecurity: Improving Employee Satisfaction, Shelly Leigh Rogers-Sharer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee satisfaction has been found to have a strong relationship with perceived job security. This study explored job insecurity in an unstable global economy. Specifically, it examined internal attributes of employees, hypothesizing that such attributes would enable employees to better cope with work-related stressors such as job insecurity. Specific attributes of personality and employability were assessed as potential moderators of job satisfaction and security, utilizing the theory of work adjustment and person-environment correspondence as theoretical frameworks. The specific attributes included facets of conscientiousness and neuroticism as well as dispositions of employability including openness to change at work, work and career …

Crash Risk Associated With Cellular Phone Use While Driving, Tiffani Ann Fordyce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are inconsistencies in the published literature on the effect of cellular phone use while driving. The objective of this study was to estimate an adjusted nationwide crash rate associated with cell phone use while driving and to compare statewide crash rates prior to and following the implementation of legislation banning cell phone use while driving. Crash rates in nationally representative databases were calculated based on imputed values for cell phone use using the propensity score method. The imputed nationwide crash rate for fatal crashes (1.61 per 100 fatal crashes) and all crashes (1.409 per 100 crashes) represented a 2 …

The Impact Of Implementing Bedside Report To Transition Patients Across Units, Tonya Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence supports bedside report as a mechanism to improve communication, patient safety, quality of report, and nurse and patient satisfaction when implemented in a closed unit. The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of implementing a bedside report process to transition patients from the emergency department to a medical-surgical unit. Specifically, the goal was to analyze the impact of a bedside- reporting process on patient progression and on nurse and patient satisfaction. Lewin's change model provided the theoretical framework for this quasi-experimental study. Patient progression data consisted of 706 patient transitions from the emergency department to the …

Clinical Significance Of Response Shift In A Spine Interventional Clinical Trial, Robin Carlson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effectiveness of treatments for degenerative spine conditions, where the primary symptom is back pain, is typically determined using patient-reported quality of life (QoL) measures. However, patients may adjust their internal standards when scoring QoL based on factors other than their health. This response shift phenomenon could confound the interpretation of study data and impact effectiveness conclusions. In the current study, response shift was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) and previously collected clinical trial data comparing 2 minimally invasive medical devices in lumbar spinal stenosis patients through 1 year postintervention. In subject QoL results, reprioritization shift between 3 months …

Predictors Of Obesity Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Olawunmi Obisesan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity has been identified as a significant risk factor for chronic diseases, contributing to health disparities in minority and vulnerable populations. Though research has identified an increased risk for obesity in the Hispanic immigrant population, there is little or no research on the heterogeneity of obesity predictors in specific immigrant populations in the United States. This study examined the predictors of obesity in the Nigerian immigrant population in the United States. Guided by the social ecological model and the segmented assimilation theory, this cross-sectional study collected primary data from 205 Nigerian immigrants in the United States using the CDC's Behavioral …

Current Capacity Building Needs Of Occupational Therapists Related To Older Driver Screening, Assessment, And Intervention, Ranyouri Hines Senia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adult safe driving is a growing public health issue; however, the skill set of occupational therapists that provide services to these older clients is unclear. The extent to which occupational therapists possess the skills to evaluate an elderly person's ability to operate safely an automobile is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey was to determine the current capacity building needs of occupational therapists (OT) related to older driver screening, assessment, and intervention. The ecology of human performance framework was the theoretical base of the study. The independent variables were the OTs' training related to older drivers, …

Third-Degree Family Health History And Perception Of Disease Risk, Liana Carrasco Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic diseases are a significant cause of illness and mortality in the United States. Hereditary predisposition to chronic diseases is a useful indicator for identifying people at risk for disease development. An ideal tool for determining this predisposition is the CDC, NIH, and AAFP recommended third-degree family health history (FHH). The aim of this quantitative, cross-sectional study, based on the theoretical frameworks of social constructivism and the health belief model, was to assess the possible influence between the completed third-degree FHH and the participant's perception of disease risk. Two-hundred seventy-three participants were recruited from health care facilities and from the …

Parents' And Children's Emotions Spanning The Hiv Disclosure Process In Kenya, Grace Gachanja, Gary J. Burkholder Jr, Aimee Ferraro

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

2014 APHA Annual Conference Tuesday, November 18, 2014 New Orleans, LA

HIV disclosure from parent to child is challenging. While disclosure is expected to be emotion for parents and children, the total disclosure experience has not been described. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of HIV - positive parents and their children in Kenya during the disclosure process.

The Influence Of Religion On Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use In Jewish Adolescents, Toby R. Levin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, the Jewish faith has used alcohol in rituals and religious holidays in which adolescents are permitted to fully participate and this exposure to alcohol may influence attitudes and beliefs about underage drinking among Jewish adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the Jewish religion and attitudes toward alcohol among Jewish adolescents. The theoretical frameworks, on which this study was based, were the social bond theory and the social development theory. Each of these theories indicates that community is important to the individual. Using a cross sectional study design, 160 adolescents participated …

Hiv-Positive Parents, Hiv-Positive Children, And Hiv-Negative Children’S Perspectives On Disclosure Of A Parent’S And Child’S Illness In Kenya, Grace Gachanja, Gary J. Burkholder Jr, Aimee Ferraro

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

HIV disclosure from parent to child is complex and challenging to HIV-positive parents and healthcare professionals. The purpose of the study was to understand the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their children during the disclosure process in Kenya. Sixteen HIV-positive parents, seven HIV-positive children, and five HIV-negative children completed semistructured, in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the Van Kaam method; NVivo 8 software was used to assist data analysis. We present data on the process of disclosure based on how participants recommended full disclosure be approached to HIV-positive and negative children. Participants recommended disclosure as a process starting at …

Patient Safety Culture And High Reliability Organizations, Jared D. Padgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A 1999 evaluation of case studies performed by staff from the Institute of Medicine found that between 40,000 and 98,000 patients died from preventable errors, while 43,598 individuals died in car accidents that year. A 2011 report increased that estimate nearly 10 times. Widespread preventable patient harm still occurs despite an increase in healthcare regulations. High-reliability organization theory has contributed to improved safety and may potentially reverse this trend. This explorative single case study explored how the perceptions and experiences of nursing and respiratory staff affected the successful transition of a healthcare organization into a reliability-seeking organization. Fourteen participants from …

Factors Associated With Tuberculin Skin Test Positivity Prevalence In U.S. Medical Laboratory Microbiologists, Julie Ann West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research has indicated that healthcare personnel (HCP) who work in areas where Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses an occupational hazard are at high risk of tuberculin skin test (TST) positivity and subsequent conversion to active tuberculosis (TB). U.S. medical laboratory microbiologists confront similar hazards but have not been studied outside of the HCP aggregate. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by examining the relationships between the predictor variables of self-reported history of bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunization, place of birth, and years of laboratory experience and the outcomes of self-reported lifetime TST positivity, preventive treatment noninitiation, and barriers …

Testing The Waters: Are Health Education Specialists Willing To Conduct Rapid Hiv Testing?, Angela W. Prehn, Jacquie Fraser, Anthony J. Santella

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Approximately 1 in 5 people with HIV are not aware of their infection; access to testing is an important part of public health. In a national study, Health Education Specialists with high HIV knowledge and favorable attitudes towards persons with HIV/AIDS were more willing to be trained to conduct rapid HIV testing (RHT)

The Fatigue Experience Of African American Women With Breast Cancer, Phyllis D. Morgan Dr.

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Little is known about fatigue related to breast cancer among African American women. This qualitative study explored the fatigue experience of 10 African American women with breast cancer. The study was conducted in the southeastern United States. African American women provided vivid accounts of cancer related fatigue. The women discussed how they worked together with their physicians to manage fatigue related to breast cancer treatment. Strategies used by women included pharmacologic (i.e., vitamins and supplements) and non-pharmacologic (i.e., prayer and exercise) interventions. This information can be used to assist breast health advocates to understand how to support African American women …

Organizational Climate And The Theory Of Human Caring In Hospitals, Vivienne C. Meanger

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Patient care in hospitals has become perfunctory, task focused, and void of a personalized human connection, which has become an area of concern among scholars since the 1970s. This experimental, post-test only, control-group study with a purposive patient and clinical staff sample explored the relationship between human caring and patient satisfaction; and the role of leadership in transforming the organizational culture in an long term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting implanting the Magnet initiatives.

Reliability/Validity Of The Self-Stigma Of Mental Illness Scale (Ssmis), Amy Sickel, Jason D. Seacat Ph.D., Nina A. Nabors Ph.D.

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Most individuals diagnosed with mental illness are mild-moderate in severity. Research on the Self- Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (SSMIS) has traditionally focused on stigma associated with severely mentally ill individuals using clinical samples, leaving the psychometric properties of the SSMIS questionable when used with less severely ill individuals. Data from a non-clinical sample of 423 adults indicates the SSMIS scales are reliable. Correlations between the SSMIS scales and mental health scales provide convergent validity for the SSMIS. Findings suggest the SSMIS scales are reliable and valid when used within this population and suggest future directions for mental health stigma …

Anxiety And The Imposter Phenomenon Among Graduate Students In Online Versus Traditional Programs, Christy B. Fraenza

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This study compared online and traditional students on measures of imposter phenomenon (IP), anxiety, and perfectionism. Traditional students had significantly higher IP scores. Perfectionism was the strongest predictor of IP scores. Because the scale for perfectionism explored socially prescribed perfectionism, it seems to suggest an underlying social component to IP.

Examining The Effect Of Medical-Surgical Nurse Manager Leadership On Employee Organizational Citizenship, Cheryl B. Cullen

2010-2016 Archived Posters

An intriguing question in a hospital is “What makes one medical-surgical nursing unit more desirable to nurses, physicians, and patients than another?” This quantitative, correlational research study identified a moderately positive correlation (r = .35, p = .000 between the leadership and communication behaviors of the nurse manager and the organizational citizenship of the nurses and nursing assistants who worked on the medical-surgical nursing units studied. The social impact of this positive correlation is better patient care outcomes.

Effects Of Positive Behavior Intervention And Supports On Teacher Self-Efficacy And Teaching Anxiety, Jill Van Parys Couet

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), for improving behavior and achievement is well established. The impact PBIS has on teaching anxiety and self-efficacy levels is unknown. Research indicates that both attributes affect students’ performance. This study examined how the implementation of PBIS affects teachers’ levels of teaching anxiety and self-efficacy.

Stress: The Development And Influence On Self-Identity, Earl Grey

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Using a grounded theory methodology and constantcomparative analysis, the investigator sought to develop an empirical understanding of the experience of stress and its influence on identity development. The 23 participants, who did not meet criteria for a DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, received 10 - 60 minutes sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment (EMDR). EMDR treatment targets stressful memories and elicits recall of thoughts, imagery, emotions, and physical body sensations related to the stressful experience. The data from video recorded sessions provided holistic information regarding each participant’s experience and recall of stressful events. The results yielded thematic developmental patterns of thoughts, …

Big Five Personality Traits And Proenvironmental Attitudes And Behaviors, Tara Rae Wuertz

2010-2016 Archived Posters

The big five is the most widely used model of individual personality trait differences. This quantitative research study is being completed to discern if the big five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism are correlated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors

The Human-Animal Bond And Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress, Melissa White

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This study explored the lived experiences of Operational Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) service members with combatrelated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms who had a companion animal postdeployment. Twelve OEF and OIF veterans participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed using Moustakas’ phenomenological approach. Four themes emerged: (a) rich descriptions of deployment events, (b) the experiences of returning from a deployment, (c) participants’ perceptions on their pets’ influence on posttraumatic stress symptoms, and (d) other comments and opinions related to participants’ experiences. These findings illuminate the experience of combat-related posttraumatic stress and the importance of animals in the therapeutic …

Drug Use And Sexual Risk Behaviors Of Msm With Syphilis In Atlanta, Tarneisha Shantelle Means

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many men who have sex with men (MSM) engage in alcohol and drug use. Drug use, particularly methamphetamines, amyl nitrates (poppers), and drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction among MSM may also contribute to risks such as unprotected sex, which leads to the possibility of contracting syphilis, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). In the Metro Atlanta Area (Fulton and Dekalb Counties), primary and secondary syphilis rates among MSM are still rising and rank highest among the other counties in the area. Guided by the risk and protective factor theory, the purpose of this study was …

Work Group Composition Effects On Leadership Styles In Aircraft Manufacturing Organizations., Monica Lynn Dunnagan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

leadership styles

homogeneous versus heterogeneous

manufacturing leaders

contractor workforce

The Effects Of Holistic Coping Strategies On Perceived Stress And Absenteeism In Hospital Nurses, Mary Alice Ayon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demanding work environments of professional nurses often contribute to high levels of stress that impact their professional practice and well-being. Although there is a significant amount of research regarding stress and absenteeism, a gap in the literature exists about the effects of holistic coping strategies on nurses' perceived stress and absenteeism. Based on the biopsychosocial model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate effects of holistic coping strategies on perceived stress and absenteeism in 128 hospital nurses. An online cross-sectional survey design used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 to measure nurses' perceptions of stress. The independent grouping variable …

Adolescent And Community Adult Perceptions Of Adolescent Tobacco Use, Susan M. Franko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 1964, the Surgeon General issued the first report that linked smoking cigarettes as a direct cause of emphysema, heart disease, and lung cancer. Despite this landmark publication, the primary cause of preventable deaths each year in the United States continues to be related to the use of tobacco. Regardless of decades of health education and resources available to inform society that the use of tobacco products can have deleterious effects on health, adolescents continue to experiment with them. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the influences of adolescent tobacco use. Based on the …

The Innovation Of Simulation Laboratories And The Novice Nurses In The Clinical Setting, Brenda Washington Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The push to generate professional nurses has raised questions about the competency level of the novice nurses that are entering the workforce. Utilization of simulation laboratories is being viewed as an option for bridging the gap for the shortage of nurses, nurse educators, and clinical sites. The theory of goal attainment was used to guide this project, which aimed to develop and validate an ER simulation scenario that mimics a clinical setting as a tool for measuring nursing skills. An additional purpose, to be accomplished after graduation, will be to implement a pilot project to determine the impact of the …